Alberto Gonzales lackey Rep. Tim Griffin (AR-2) will not seek reelection. Perhaps former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter or former North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, will run for the seat. Also, in Arkansas:
James Lee Witt, who was director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under former President Bill Clinton, says he’s looking at running for the seat [in the 4th district] being vacated by Republican Rep. Tom Cotton.
Rep. Tom Cotton is running for U.S. Senate against Mark Pryor. It would be very difficult to think of a stronger recruit for Cotton’s seat than James Lee Witt.
DCCC chairman Steve Israel is beginning to fill out the 2014 midterm roster. His recruitment has been greatly aided by the government shutdown which resulted in a complete collapse in the Republicans’ standing in the polls. It has allowed him not only to convince people to run who had already turned him down, but it created recruits in districts that no one was talking about as competitive just a month ago. If the Democrats are going to retake the House, they are going to have to win seats in states like Arkansas. Suddenly, that actually seems possible.
